MK Moshe Tur-Paz (Yesh Atid) said Sunday evening that the proposed Basic Law: Torah Study is a "desecration of Torah" and pledged he would study Torah without an exemption from military service. Tur-Paz criticized the bill's clause equating the rights of Torah learners with those of IDF soldiers, according to his statement on Telegram.
MK Moshe Tur-Paz (Yesh Atid) sharply criticized the proposed Basic Law: Torah Study on Sunday evening, calling the bill a 'desecration of Torah' ('Chok Chilul Torah'). Speaking on Telegram, Tur-Paz said he would study Torah anyway, but without an exemption from military service — an implicit rejection of the bill's core provision.
The bill, which has been advancing through the Knesset, includes a clause that compares full-time Torah study to IDF service and grants Torah learners equal legal rights. The legislation has drawn fire from across the political spectrum. As The Zioneer previously reported, coalition MKs Yuli Edelstein (National Unity) and Dan Illouz (Likud) voted against it, with Illouz calling it 'an actual desecration of God's name.' Opposition MKs including Benny Gantz and Elazar Stern have also denounced the law as a cover for draft evasion.
Tur-Paz's statement is the latest in a series of public condemnations from MKs who oppose equating Torah study with military service, but it remains unclear whether the criticism will alter the coalition's legislative timetable. The bill's next Knesset stages have not been publicly scheduled.
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